We genuinely believe that all organizations can benefit from employer branding content. However, we also know that the process can intimidate smaller organizations.
Mid-sized organizations (i.e., those with less than 1500 employees) that want to engage in this work usually have limited resources or capacity. Enterprise organizations can assemble a whole dedicated employer branding content team and have the budget to hire photographers, videographers, designers, and writers to bring this work to life. Unfortunately, this work typically falls on HR or Marketing’s plate for mid-sized organizations. They already have their own projects and priorities, so employer brand content ends up on the back burner.
Smaller organizations do, however, have quite a few advantages. For example, they often have access to more compelling and personal stories that are not overly sanitized due to multiple layers of communications reviews. Smaller organizations can also collect and share stories more organically (e.g., employees submitting a picture compared to professional photography), which can feel more authentic and engaging to prospective candidates.
External audiences don’t necessarily want to see super polished, corporate, and sanitized stories. Instead, they want to feel like they’re hearing from the employees directly – and this is where small to mid-sized organizations can come out on top.
Here are tips on how you can create winning employer brand content marketing for your small to mid-sized organization.
Audit your current employer brand content marketing
You can skip to the next step if you’re starting from zero. However, if you’re already creating employer brand content, you should take stock of where you are now, and audit your current state against a couple of organizations you admire. For example, if you’re on social media, what channels are you currently using? Do you have separate content channels (e.g., social media, website) for your careers content?
You’ll also want to consider the type of content you’re currently posting and how it’s performing. For example, which posts get the most and least engagement? Lastly, you should consider your current audience size, as follower growth is a straightforward way to measure the impact of your content marketing efforts.
Establish objectives and KPIs
Once you have a solid understanding of where you’re starting from, it becomes much easier to set clear and measurable objectives and KPIs. For example, for small to medium-sized organizations, a common objective is building employer brand awareness and preference since you’re competing with larger, more established brands and enterprises.
To measure brand awareness, you should track metrics like engagement (i.e., likes, comments, shares), follower growth, and impressions. You can also use UTM tracking URLs to see what content people are engaging with and where they’re going after. For example, you can see which posts are driving more traffic or even applications with UTM tracking.
Lastly, you’ll need to establish a manageable publishing schedule. The key is to keep your expectations in check. You’re not going to go from zero to 100 overnight. If you’re currently trying to ramp up content production and only post once a month, your next goal could be to post once a week.
Tell the right stories and create quality content
This is the most crucial step to get right. When it comes to social storytelling and content marketing, frequency alone is not what wins the game. High-quality content tends to have a broader reach, as your employees are much more likely to amplify and share content that resonates with them.
So how exactly do you create quality content? Tie everything back to your employee value proposition (EVP). Think of your EVP pillars as your content foundation. For example, if growth and development is a core value at your organization, this could also be a content pillar. Create regular blog posts and stories about your growth and development programs, and employee success stories. Encourage employees to share their promotions and successes proudly across social media.
Your employees should be front and center in your content. Amplifying your employee voices will not only humanize your brand, but it will also help your organization to build trust with job seekers and consumers alike.
Tailor your content for different personas and channels
Remember: employer brand content may be about you, but it’s not for you. The goal of your content should be to attract the best people to your organization, so whatever you share needs to be tailored to your target audience.
Think about the talent personas you want to attract and feature employees like them and stories you know will matter to them. For instance, if you’re looking to draw more entry-level employees, feature entry-level stories. More diverse candidates, more diverse stories – and so on.
You also want to customize your content for your different content and social media channels. Many organizations reuse the same content on all platforms, but it’s not that simple. For example, a video that gets excellent engagement on LinkedIn may be too long for Twitter.
However, if you have limited time and capacity, you can create longer pillar content and repurpose it for different channels. For example, if you’ve developed video content or a long-form article, you could turn those pieces into shorter videos or social posts.
Employer Brand Content Marketing 101
It can be challenging for mid-sized organizations to compete with more well-known brands with bigger teams and budgets, but your size can be advantageous. It can be easier to collect stories and share authentic content from your team.
Still, you must keep your expectations in check. Don’t try to do too much too fast. Instead, focus on a few key platforms, set reasonable goals, and refine your content marketing strategy as you go.
This blog was authored by Natasha Makovora, Employer Brand and Culture Consultant at Blu Ivy Group.
Natasha has a rich history of success with helping mid-sized organizations build highly attractive EVPs and employer brands. Natasha currently works as a consultant to globally recognized beauty, tech, and services brands.
About Us
Blu Ivy Group is a global leader in employer branding, organizational culture, and recruitment marketing. We help organizations across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors build extraordinary employee experiences, magnetic employer brands, and high-performance cultures.
From C-Suite to Employer Brand and Talent Acquisition leadership, we partner with our clients to transform their organizations and design the most compelling workplaces of the future.
For inquiries, please contact sparker@bluivygroup.com.
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